Gordon Strachan

At 67 years old, Gordon Strachan has this physical status:

Gordon David Strachan ( or ; born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish football coach and former player.

Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team.

He has since managed Coventry City, Southampton, Celtic, Middlesbrough and Scotland.

In club football, he played 635 league games, scoring a total of 138 goals, playing 21 of 25 career seasons in either the English or Scottish top-flight.

In international football Strachan earned 50 caps, scoring five goals and playing in two FIFA World Cup final tournaments, Spain 82 and Mexico 86.

Strachan retired from playing in 1997 at age 40, setting a Premier League record for an outfield player. A right-sided midfielder, Strachan made his senior debut in 1974 with Dundee before moving on within Scotland, to spend seven seasons at Aberdeen.

He first played for the Scotland national team in 1980.

While at Aberdeen Strachan won multiple domestic league and cup honours in the early 1980s, as well as the 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup and 1983 European Super Cup.

Moving to England, Strachan won the 1985 FA Cup Final in five seasons with Manchester United.

He spending the next seven seasons as club captain at Leeds, winning the 1989–90 Second Division and 1991–92 First Division league titles.

He played his last game for Scotland in 1992.

He moved to Coventry in 1995 for a final three seasons, as a player-coach. Strachan became full-time manager of Coventry when the incumbent Ron Atkinson was appointed as director of football.

After five years as Coventry manager, he was sacked in 2001 after the club was relegated from the top-flight for the first time in 34 years.

He returned to the Premier League as Southampton manager and guided the "Saints" to the 2003 FA Cup Final, where they lost 1–0 to Arsenal.

Strachan resigned from Southampton in 2004 and took a 16-month break from management.

He returned to Scotland to become manager of Celtic, where he achieved three successive league titles and other domestic cup wins.

Strachan left Celtic in May 2009 after failing to win a fourth title.

He then became manager of Middlesbrough in the English Championship, but left the club after an unsuccessful 12 months in the job.

Strachan then managed the Scotland national team for five years, but was unable to secure qualification for a major tournament. Strachan was named as FWA Footballer of the Year for the 1990–91 season while at Leeds.

He was also named Manager of the Year in Scotland several times by writers and players while at Celtic.

In 2007, Strachan was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

He is the father of Craig Strachan and Gavin Strachan, also footballers.

Personal life

Strachan married Lesley Scott in 1977; George Mackie was his best man. Together, they had three children: Craig and Gavin Strachan, also footballers, and Gemma Strachan.

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Club career

Strachan, who was born and raised in Muirhouse, Edinburgh, was a fan of Hibernian. Jim's father, Jim, served as a scaffolder, and Catherine, his mother, worked at a whisky distillery. He lost his vision playing football on the school playground when a pen was stuck in his right eye; the pen came within "a thousandth of an inch" of permanently losing his vision in his eye. Eddie Turnbull, the club's boss, was given a job, but his father turned down the bid after stating that the club did not have enough funds for footwear.

Strachan began his playing days with Dundee and left the Scottish club at age 14. He turned down a Manchester United offer in order to establish himself in Dens Park's first squad. He was immediately noticeable, and he quickly established himself as a top performer in the second team, winning twice the Scottish Reserve Player of the Year Award. In August 1975, he outplayed Alan Ball in a friendly with Arsenal; the Sunday Post likened him to a young Billy Bremner. Strachan played in 17 of the club's 36 league matches in 1975–76, the club's inaugural season. However, David White's "Dee" was recalled on the last day of the season after opponents Dundee United edged ahead of goal average with an unexpected draw with champions Rangers.

Tommy Gemmell, the 19-year-old Strachan, was given captaincy for the 1976–77 First Division campaign, and he is the youngest player to captained Dundee. Nevertheless, the club struggled to thrive in the lower divisions, and Strachan lost his first team spot early in the 1977-78 season after opposition teams announced that the best way to stop Dundee was to eliminate their playmaker. Strachan left Dundee because the club appeared to be unlikely to regain their top-flight status, and he told Gemmell that "we need £50,000 before Friday or the banks are closing the door." In 1977, Strachan's last match for Dundee was a 6–0 loss in the League Cup to King of the South at Palmerston Park, which Strachan characterized as "embarrassing" in his autobiography.

Strachan was signed by Aberdeen manager Billy McNeill in November 1977 for a £50,000 plus Jim Shirra. Strachan's 1977–78 season of poor form and niggling injuries made 1977–78 a bad year for the family, but the "Dons" went on to finish second in the Scottish Premier Division. He was not selected for the 1978 Scottish Cup Final loss to Rangers.

In summer 1978, McNeill left the Pittodrie Stadium for Celtic, and Alex Ferguson was named as the new manager. In the 1979 League Cup loss to Rangers, Strachan was playing at Hampden Park, setting up Duncan Davidson for the game's first goal. Despite the fact that the 1978–79 campaign was a disappointment, Aberdeen went on to win the league in 1979–80 after closing a ten-point deficit over Celtic with a late run that included two victories at Celtic Park. They advanced to the League Cup Final once more, defeating both Old Firm and New Firm sides en route, where they lost 3–0 to Dundee United at Dens Park. Strachan was named SFWA Footballer of the Year at the end of the season. Strachan signed a new deal to keep Alex McLeish at Pittodrie until 1984 after being assured that he would continue with the club.

The Celtic "Reds" could only muster a second-place finish in 1980–81 as Celtic regained the league championship. In the second round of the European Cup, they lost to eventual champions Liverpool; manager Bob Paisley announced that Strachan would become "Britain's first £2 million player" in what was a (successful) first attempt at mind games. He missed the second half of the season due to a muscle tear in his stomach. Aberdeen mounted a true championship challenge in 1981–82, but they had to settle for second place to Celtic with fit-again Strachan on the right flank and fullback Stewart Kennedy on the left flank, as well as record signing Peter Weir on the left-flank. They did win by a 4–1 extra-time victory over Rangers, with Strachan providing one assist and one goal.

Strachan made his mark early on in a 5–1 victory over former Dundee in the League Cup, making his mark in 1982-83. Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup despite finishing third in the league (albeit just one point behind champions and New Firm rivals Dundee United) and dropping out of the league Cup in the quarter-finals. Real Madrid, the Spanish giants, defeated the club in Gothenburg by a 2–1 victory over the club's European triumph, which culminated in a 2–1 draw. Rangers won by 1–0 over the Scottish Cup on Saturday. The "Dons" continued their triumph by winning the league title and Scottish Cup in 1983–84, with Strachan assisting Mark McGhee for the winning goal in the cup final victory over Celtic. The team beat Hamburger SV in the 1983 European Super Cup for the first time.

Manchester United invested £500,000 to move Strachan to Old Trafford in August 1984. However, Strachan had previously signed a pre-contract agreement with Bundesliga number 1, which was also noted by the player. United FC Köln, Germany, fired Mark McGhee to end the row, while Mark McGhee had already signed a Hamburger SV deal, understanding that Strachan will also be playing in Germany. Strachan started the 1984-85 campaign with four goals in seven games, but the "Red Devils" did not achieve a fourth-place finish in the First Division. He appeared at Wembley Stadium in 1985 as United defeated Everton 1–0; Norman Whiteside's brisk walk off-the-ball aided him in finding the extra space for his extra-time champion.

United needed to cope without Strachan, who was out of action for most of the season due to injury. They were unable to cope with their injuries, according to Bryan Robson, another key player in the hospital, and they dropped to another fourth-place finish. "I never thought he'd follow me this far south," Atkinson was replaced by Alex Ferguson in November 1986, and Strachan mocked sobbing as he told his colleagues. Ferguson argued that not being the star player had harmed Strachan's appearance after his arrival. United finished 11th in 1986–87, before gaining second place in 1987–88. Strachan's form was patchy in 1988-89, when the club fell to 11th place.

Ron Atkinson, the manager of Sheffield Wednesday, had a bid of £200,000 accepted by Manchester United and told Strachan a deal that paid more money than any other manager in the club's history. However, Leeds United boss Howard Wilkinson matched the bid and persuaded Strachan to drop down into the Second Division, despite it being unlikely that a move to Sheffield appeared. He made a name for himself at Elland Road, earning comparisons to former favorites Bobby Collins and Johnny Giles. He was given the captain's armband as a result of his two-year service. In 1989–90, he formed an unusual midfield partnership with Vinnie Jones and led the club to the Second Division championship.

Wilkinson landed a midfield quartet of Strachan, Gary McAllister, David Batty, and Gary Speed with the "Whites" now in the First Division. They earned their fourth-place finish in 1990–91, as well as the League Cup's semi-finals. Strachan was named FWA Footballer of the Year for his contributions during the campaign, becoming the first one to win both in Scotland and England.

Strachan completed a new two-year contract before captaining Leeds to the league championship in 1991–92. He denied former boss Alex Ferguson and Leeds' hated rivals Manchester United the title. Strachan (now 35 years old) was beginning to feel the effects of his sciatica, and he missed a number of games due to his bad back. Strachan was named an OBE for his services to sport following the club's success.

Leeds, on the other hand, were unable to capitalize on their glory, ending the 1992–93 season in 17th place in what was officially branded the Premier League. Strachan continued to impress, winning the club's Player of the Year award. On April 10, 1993, he scored a hat-trick against Blackburn Rovers. In a 4–0 victory over Swindon Town in the Second Division at Elland Road in September 1989, he recorded his second hat-trick for Leeds, the first having appeared in September 1989 when he found the net three times three times.

Strachan spent 37 starts from 1993 to 1994, and Leeds climbed to fifth place. He was never picked in the 1994–95 season, which would be the end of his time at Elland Road, where he had spent six years.

Strachan moved to Coventry City in March 1995 to serve as assistant manager under new boss Ron Atkinson, the man who had taken him south of the border 11 years ago. In summer 1997, it was also agreed that Atkinson would be recalled as the boss. When exploring Atkinson's finer points of leadership, Strachan coached the team and led training sessions. He took to the field at Highfield Road in his second season with the Sky Blues for 26 Premier League games in the next two years before finally pulling up his boots in his 40th year. Atkinson bought Aberdeen midfielder Eoin Jess in 1996 solely on Strachan's recommendation. Isaas also left the club after losing to Strachan and losing. Coventry has signed Gary McAllister for £3 million per week on wages of £20,000 per week; McAllister's old colleague and colleague Strachan was responsible for the arrangement, while Atkinson was largely opposed to the contract. During the 1996–97 campaign, the club struggled, and the club's board of directors ordered Atkinson to step down in November 1996, some months before the first agreed, and Strachan was named boss.

International career

In a British Home Championship loss to Northern Ireland at Windsor Park on May 16, Strachan earned his first cap for Scotland. Strachan helped Scotland qualify for the 1982 FIFA World Cup by scoring the only goal against Sweden at Stockholm's Rougha Stadium. He did not participate in the 1982 British Home Championship, as Jock Stein wanted to rest him for the World Cup, which was held in Spain. Strachan was named Man of the Match after the Scots cruised to a 5–2 victory over New Zealand at La Rosaleda Stadium, Málaga. At the Estadio Benito Villamarn, Seville, Scotland lost 4–1 to a world-class Brazil team. Scotland saw Scotland drop out of the tournament on goal difference in the third match, after a 2–2 draw with the Soviet Union in Málaga.

Scotland has also qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. However, Jock Stein died of a heart attack just after being drawn with Wales at Ninian Park on September 10, 1985, and his assistant Alex Ferguson took over the World Cup campaign. They had to defeat Australia in a play-off to complete their qualification. Strachan appeared in the first leg at Hampden Park but did not fly to Melbourne for the second leg. The Scots faced a tough draw in Mexico and lost 1–0 in their first match at the Estadio Neza 86 in the Mexico City suburb of Nezahualcóyotl to the unseeded – but to Denmark, which was highly adored. Strachan then scored in a 2–1 loss at the Estadio Corregidora in Queretaro, but he was dissatisfied with his short stature and so his leg was merely resting his leg on the hoarding before being joined by his teammates. Scotland defeated Uruguay 0–0 in the third and final group match back in Nezahualcóyotl, despite the fact that the opponents were reduced to ten men after less than a minute of play when José Batista attempted to exclude Strachan from the game.

Strachan was left out of Andy Roxburgh's first team photo and was barred from the squad for the 1990 World Cup. Nevertheless, he saw a national team resurgent between 1990 and 1992, as well as captained his country in qualifying for UEFA Euro 1992. However, he did not travel to Sweden as a member of the team, and he did not tell his teammates that he would not return to Sweden due to long-term back problems. He had 50 caps and five international goals.

Managerial career

Strachan was promoted to the manager's seat as Ron Atkinson took over Coventry City's director of football in November 1996. Alex Miller was named as his assistant by the governor. Strachan was named Month Manager of the Month in December after a rise in results. In addition, the "Sky Blues" in the relegation zone have won 1 match in a row in 2012. Last season's victories over Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur continued their good fortune, but relegation was denied by a single point. Strachan appeared in the victory over Chelsea at Highfield Road at age 40, which was at the time a record for an outfield player in the Premier League.

Strachan has signed Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hedman, Dutch midfielder George Boateng, and Romanian striker Viorel Moldovan, all of whom will gain international recognition. In 1997–98, Coventry finished 11th out of 11th place, and the 1997–98 FA Cup quarterfinals were also contested. Strachan replaced Miller with Garry Pendrey, who would go on to spend many years as his assistant at various clubs. In February 1998, Strachan was named Month Manager of the Month for the second time.

In 1998–99 and 2000, the club finished 15th and 14th in the United Kingdom, as Strachan invested £6 million on Irish striker Robbie Keane and five million on Moroccans Mustapha Hadji and Youssef Chippo, as well as selling Dion Dublin to Midlands rivals Aston Villa. At the end of the 2000–01 season, Coventry was relegated, making Strachan unpopular with fans. Craig Bellamy's latest signing was dissatisfied, while Robbie Keane was sold and Gary McAllister left for Liverpool. Strachan attempted to launch a promotion campaign by signing striker Lee Hughes, but he was fired five matches into the 2001–02 First Division campaign, despite increasing supporter revolts. Roland Nilsson, his replacement, led the team to an 11th-place finish.

Strachan returned to management within weeks, taking over the management of Premier League Southampton, who had fired Stuart Gray after a rough start to their first season at the new St Mary's Stadium. By Strachan's arrival in October 2001, most pundits had already written off their chances of surviving, but the team went on to finish 11th in the Premier League. The Saints advanced in 2002–03, finishing eighth and qualifying for the FA Cup Final, where they lost 1–0 to Arsenal. Southampton earned a spot in the UEFA Champions League as Arsenal advanced to the 2003–04 season.

Strachan resigned as Southampton boss in February 2004, despite the fact that his decision not to remain on the team in the summer was leaked to the public. He wanted to take a break from football but was forced to resign earlier than expected due to rumors about his and the team's future following the leak.

Strachan returned to management in the Scottish Premier League after a 16-month absence, when he took over Celtic as manager of the Scottish Premier League from Martin O'Neill on June 1, 2005. He said he was going to regain the SPL title from rival Rangers in 2005–06. He got off to a rocky start to his career as Celtic boss, losing 5–0 to Slovakian champions Artmedia Bratislava on July 27, 2005, and then drawing 4–4 with Motherwell in his first SPL match in charge of the Glasgow club. Celtic suffered an early withdrawal from European competition despite winning the return match 4–0. Celtic got off to a rocky start under Strachan. In the third round of the Scottish Cup to First Division Clyde on January 8, 2006, a low-point was a humiliating loss. However, his squad made history by beating Dunfermline Athletic 8–1, a record victory margin for the SPL at the time. Strachan's first season was fruitful, as he led Celtic to victory in the League Cup, but his team also secured the SPL championship in a historic manner on Friday, with six matches remaining. Strachan was named Manager of the Year by the Scottish Football Writers' Union eight days later, in honor of his contribution.

Strachan restructured the squad and made a string of trades, including Hibernian's Derek Riordan, Kenny Miller and Lee Naylor of Wolverhampton Wanderers; Chelsea's Jirohl; and Tottenham's Martin Ketley; and Hearts' Peter Hartley. Celtic flourished, and by mid-January 2007, the SPL table had a 17-point lead. FC Champions League football has returned to Celtic Park, the team having automatically qualified for the group stages and being drawn alongside Benfica, Copenhagen, and Manchester United. For the first time since the competition was re-formed in 1993, home victories over all three Group F players saw the team advance to the round of 16 of the Champions League for the first time since it was re-formed. Celtic lost in round 16 of 16ties against eventual winners Milan in extra time, missing out on a spot in the quarter-finals. Celtic defeated Celtic in their 41st league championship and second in succession on April 22. Celtic 13 points ahead of Rangers with four matches remaining after a 2–1 victory over Kilmarnock. Strachan was named the inaugural PFA Scotland Manager of the Year for 2007 later that day. Celtic defeated Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup, beating them on Sunday.

After defeating Milan, Benfica, and Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2007-08 season, Strachan led Celtic into the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Following Aberdeen's 1–0 loss in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals and a 1–0 loss to ten-man Motherwell in the SPL, there was a lot of criticism from the media and fans by April. However, after losing twice at home on May 22, 2008 Strachan became only the third ever Celtic manager to lead the team to three consecutive Scottish league titles.

He resigned as manager in the 2008-09 season after winning the League Cup for extra time against Rangers but losing to lead Celtic to another league championship.

Strachan, the son of Gareth Southgate, signed a four-year deal with Middlesbrough in October 2009. He had been linked to the Middlesbrough manager's job 15 years ago, when he was still a Leeds United player. Adam Johnson missed a penalty in his first match in charge on October 31st, a 1–0 loss to Plymouth Argyle. Middlesbrough defeated Strachan in their first match under Strachan, 5–1. Strachan's team defeated Scunthorpe United 3–0 after a string of poor results, including a 3–0 loss at home to Blackpool and a 1–0 loss at home to Cardiff City.

Strachan left the club by mutual consent on October 18th following a rough start to the 2010–11 season, and Middlesbrough was in 20th place in 20th place. He voluntarily ended his employment and was left homeless.

Strachan was appointed manager of the Scotland national team on January 15, 2013, after Craig Levein. On February 6, the head of Pittodrie Stadium played in a friendly match against Estonia. Scotland defeated Scotland 1–0, with Charlie Mulgrew scoring his first international goal. In Strachan's first two competitive matches, Scotland lost to Wales and Serbia, effectively ending the Scots' slim chances of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Scotland had a return to form after this, winning both matches against Croatia and against Macedonia. In qualifying Group A, Scotland came in fourth place.

Scotland had a greater chance of qualifying in Euro 2016 qualifying, but they were drawn in a difficult group with Germany, Poland, and the Republic of Ireland. Scotland defeated Georgia, Ireland, and Gibraltar, as well as away draws against Poland and Ireland after losing their first match in Germany. Scotland put on a "insipid" appearance in their next match after losing 1–0 in Georgia. Scotland was four points behind third-placed Ireland after losing at home, with two games remaining. Scotland must defeat Poland in the group's penultimate matches, or risk that Ireland will lose to Germany. Scotland came from behind to lead 21-0 in their match, but Ireland scored the only goal of their match, leaving the Scots needing a win to remain alive. Poland was held a draw that disqualified Scotland from contention after Robert Lewandowski's late scrambled goal. Strachan moaned about what he considered to be bad fortune. Strachan agreed to a new deal with the Scottish Football Association after defeating Gibraltar in the last qualifier. Strachan resigned from his position on October 12 after failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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